The 2020 Boland Summer Festival has been called off to mitigate against the possible spread of the coronavirus. The annual event, which raises funds for the Paarl Muslim Jamaah was meant to take place from the 3- 5 April 2020 at the Daljosafat stadium in Paarl. Last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a wide-ranging plan to address the COVID19 crisis in South Africa, including a ban on public gatherings exceeding 100 people. The festival convenor Waahied Hendricks said the turn of events is unfortunate.

“It is a sad day for us, as it would have been our 21st anniversary. But alhamdullilah, things happen for a reason,” said Hendricks.

“We can’t go against the grain. It’s a necessity at this stage. We will have to look at a plan B, but for now, we have to postpone.”

At this stage, there are no alternative dates for the event due to the uncertainty around the virus. He added this would have an adverse economic impact for small businesses, who rely on the festival for their income.

“The need and want for a festival of this nature is always there. We don’t know the extent of this virus, so it is difficult to say when it will happen.”

The festival convening team has apologised to the public. Stallholders can contact the committee’s office on 021 8624721 to facilitate a full refund on any deposits paid.

On Monday morning, it was also announced that the Kramat festival would be indefinitely cancelled. In a statement, the Nurul Latief Islamic Society said:

“All potential campers, visitors, supporters and service providers are hereby informed that our Association has taken the very difficult decision to cancel our Annual Easter Kramat Fundraising Event for 2020. This implies that there will be no activities related to the event, including camping, stalls and entertainment etc.

We took the decision based on the President of the Republic of South Africa on Sunday night, 15 March 2020 declaring a National State of Disaster through which a range of measures were announced to try and stem the spreading of the Covid-19 epidemic. In terms of our planned event, the following announced measures are applicable: 2.1 Limit contact between groups of people 2.2 Gatherings of more than 100 are prohibited 2.3 All mass celebrations during public holidays cancelled

We regret that we find ourselves in this situation, but it is a matter beyond our control which we as law abiding citizens and as a Muslim community within the country must respect and support.

We want to sincerely thank all those who normally support our annual Easter event and trust you will equally support us in implementing the decision we have taken.”

On Monday, the health ministry confirmed 62 positive COVID19 cases in South Africa, with 16 in the Western Cape.

VOC